The mixed company Oman Sustainable Water Services, SAOC, formed by Aqualia and the Oman Investment Fund public company Majis Industrial Services (Majis), will manage the operation and maintenance of all water services in the area of the Port of Sohar, the most important in the north of Oman, for the next 20 years.

The agreement was formalised in a ceremony in Mascate, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, before the management team of Majis led by its CEO, Ahmed Al-Mazrouy. The Aqualia delegation was led by Luis de Lope, International Director. The event was also attended by the Ambassador of Spain to Oman, José Antonio Bordallo, and the Embassy’s Commercial Attaché, Remedios Romeo García.

The new company will operate and maintain the installations for sea water intake, the production and supply of drinking water and the processing, collection and system for cooling water, waste water treatment, sewerage system and the management of recycled waste water. Initially it will start with the sea water intake and will extend the service to other processes in the Port of Sohar installations and under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority.

This is a project of high technical complexity that includes critical sea water extraction plants with a capacity of 700,000 m3/h, an associated network, a desalination plant with a capacity of 20,000 m3/day, a purification plant of 10,000 m3/day, a sea water outfall of 600,000 m3/hour and a pumping and processing system as well as drinking water and sewerage systems for more than 50,000 m3/day.

With this new contract, Aqualia reinforces its presence in the Middle East and North Africa area, where it already has a portfolio of 250 million euros. Aqualia is present in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. In those countries it serves a population of 6 million people and treats 600,000 cubic meters of water per day. In addition, the company manages three other water contracts in Egypt, worth 300 million euros.

In the event held in Mascate, Majis CEO Ahmed Al-Mazrouy emphasised that the project is the result of four years’ work and that the new company was born with the mission of “supplying the clients with sustainable solutions, investing in human resources in Oman, conserving the available resources and allying the latest and most advanced technologies to the benefit of the area.”

Luis de Lope, International Director of Aqualia, stated that the project started in Oman fits perfectly in Aqualia’s business model. “It is a project that promotes innovation and continuous improvement, where we can provide our knowledge and experience in all facets of the water cycle. We are starting our route today in Oman in the hands of Majis, which is a highly committed and serious institution, so much so that since we knew them we were impressed by their professionalism and attention to details,” stated Lope.

Majis, the public company for water management in the Port of Sohar

Majis Industrial Services (Majis) is the leading supplier of water services in Sohar and owns the largest sea water intake in the Near East. Majis has excellent management data, being the leader in annual customer satisfaction surveys. The company uses its more than 10 years’ experience to provide the most efficient and suitable water solutions for its customers in the Port of Sohar and in the Free Zone.

Majis is proud of its role as the leader in the development of the Port of Sohar, to which it provides first class water and sewerage services. Its multi-service station produces cooling water, drinking water, process water and irrigation water. One of the most innovative waste water solutions that represents its corporate commitment to the environment is the "CETRP" central effluents recycling plant. This installation receives the industrial waste water from the tenants in the Port of Sohar, treats it and recycles it to produce process water, thus achieving zero discharge to the environment.

Aqualia, one of the world leaders in water management

Aqualia is the FCC water management company, one of the leading public services groups in Europe. The company is the fourth private water company in Europe by population served and is among the first 10 in the world, according to the latest ranking by the specialised publication Global Water Intelligence (GWI, November 2017).

It currently provides service to 22.5 million users in 1,100 municipalities in 22 countries: Spain, Italy, Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Algeria, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Tunisia, Qatar, Oman, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama.

In financial year 2016, the company had a turnover of €1,010 million and a business portfolio of nearly €15,000 million.

Aqualia’s presence in the Middle East

Aqualia has been working in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, since 2011, where it is undertaking a project to optimise the city’s water supply system to offer a better service to more than three million inhabitants.

In this same country, Aqualia is also administering the utilities affected by the Metro works in the capital (also implemented by the FCC Group) and operating and maintaining the waste water treatment plants in Hadda and Arana, in the city of Mecca.

In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), scarcely 100 kilometres from the Port of Sohar, Aqualia manages the operation and maintenance of the sewerage system and waste water treatment in the eastern area of the Emirate, including the city of Al Ain and remote areas, serving a population of more than 650,000.

As well as this, Aqualia was chosen in 2014 to administer the sewerage system in Al Dhakhira (Qatar) for the next 10 years, serving a population of more than 200,000.

Photo caption:

JV Agreement signature: Luis de Lope (left), Aqualia's International Director; Nabil Abdullah Humaid Al Ghassani, Chairman - Independent of Majis; and Ahmed Al-Mazrouy, CEO of Majis; initialling the agreement.

Aspiracion Intermediate Pumping Station: one of the facilities that Aqualia manages within the framework of the operation contract and the maintenance of the sewage treatment and wastewater treatment network in the eastern part of the Arab Emirates, about 100 kilometers from Sohar (Oman) .